The central square of the city was established in 1346 when King Casimir the Great granted Bydgoszcz its town rights. Over the centuries, its buildings have changed many times, the current architecture comes mainly from the 19th century. Dominating the panorama of the Old Market Square, surrounded by townhouses, is the impressive Town Hall, built between 1644 and 1653 as a Jesuit College.
Bydgoszcz is intersected by the 18th meridian east (18°E), which connects the city to other places like Stockholm, Cape Town, and Dubrovnik. You can see the line marking its path on the square's pavement. There is also a clock measuring Bydgoszcz time, which is local time dependent on the position of a specific part of the Earth relative to the Sun. Compared to Central European Time (CET), based on the 15th meridian (15°E), Bydgoszcz time is "earlier"—you need to add 12 minutes to the official winter time and subtract 48 minutes from the summer time.
It's worth being at Bydgoszcz's Old Market Square at 13:13 or 21:13. That's when the figure of Mr. Twardowski appears from the window of townhouse No. 15. According to legend, he arrived in the city on a rooster to offer his magical services to wealthy townspeople. One of them was an elderly mayor with a very young wife. He asked the Master to make him young again. After bathing in a concoction of magical herbs, the goal was achieved. However, upon returning home, he was not recognized by his wife or any of the servants…
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